Voodin Plans €100M Wooden Wind Turbine Blade Factory in Spain

Updated on August 17, 2026 • 5 min read

German startup Voodin Blade Technology is moving forward with plans for what is described as the world’s first industrial-scale wooden wind turbine blade factory, introducing laminated veneer lumber (LVL) as an alternative material route for an industry facing growing composite blade waste.

The project, known as VB1F, is planned for Navarra, Spain, with investment exceeding €100 million. Commercial operations are targeted for 2031.

Once fully operational, the plant is expected to manufacture as many as 160 sets of wind turbine blades per year and create approximately 450 jobs in the region.

The project represents an attempt to address two issues simultaneously: increasing demand for wind turbine blades as global wind capacity expands and the end-of-life challenges associated with conventional glass fiber-reinforced thermoset composite blades.

Wind Turbine Blade Recycling Remains a Challenge

Wind power capacity has expanded rapidly as countries increase renewable electricity generation.

According to the supplied project information, global installed wind capacity has already surpassed 1,000 GW, while substantially more capacity will be required if deployment is to keep pace with climate and electrification targets.

That expansion creates a corresponding materials challenge.

Conventional wind turbine blades commonly use glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites, including thermoset resin systems. These materials provide the stiffness, strength and fatigue performance required for large rotating structures, but recycling cured thermoset composites remains technically challenging.

As older wind farms reach the end of their operating lives, managing blade waste is therefore becoming an increasingly important part of the industry’s sustainability discussion.

Voodin is pursuing a different approach by changing the structural material from which the blade is manufactured.

From Spruce Veneer to Structural LVL

Rather than relying primarily on conventional glass fiber composite construction, Voodin’s blade technology uses wood-based laminated veneer lumber.

The proposed Navarra facility will source spruce from certified European forests.

The manufacturing process begins by peeling the wood into thin veneers. These veneers are then layered and bonded to produce high-density LVL engineered for structural use.

The resulting material can subsequently be machined into the required blade geometry.

A key part of the manufacturing concept is automation. Large LVL blocks are processed using CNC milling equipment controlled by digital CAD data, enabling the blade geometry to be machined directly from the engineered wood structure.

This creates a fundamentally different production route from the mold-based processes commonly associated with large composite wind turbine blades.

Why Use Wood for a Wind Turbine Blade?

The material choice is intended to reduce dependence on conventional composite materials while providing another route for managing blades after their service life.

Wood also stores biogenic carbon absorbed while trees grow. Voodin’s broader environmental proposition therefore combines renewable feedstock sourcing, carbon storage and alternative end-of-life pathways.

However, describing wooden blades as simply “fully recyclable” can obscure an important distinction.

The final blade is an engineered material system, not an untreated piece of timber. Its actual end-of-life options depend on the complete construction, including adhesives, coatings and any additional materials incorporated into the finished blade.

Consequently, the environmental performance of the technology should ultimately be assessed across its complete lifecycle rather than from the wood feedstock alone.

Factory Targets 160 Blade Sets Annually

The scale of the Navarra project is notable.

With investment of more than €100 million, VB1F is intended to move wooden wind turbine blades beyond individual prototypes and toward industrial production.

Current plans call for:

• Commercial operation: 2031
• Maximum production: Up to 160 blade sets annually
• Investment: More than €100 million
• Employment: Approximately 450 jobs
• Location: Navarra, Spain

Project estimates cited in the supplied information also indicate that more than 2.4 million metric tons of emissions could be avoided during the factory’s first decade of operation. The assumptions and methodology behind that figure would need to be considered when comparing it directly with conventional blade production.

Can Wood Compete With Composite Blades at Scale?

That is ultimately the more important question raised by VB1F.

Modern wind turbine blades have become enormous engineered structures exposed to millions of loading cycles, changing temperatures, moisture, erosion and substantial aerodynamic forces throughout their operating lives.

Any alternative material therefore needs to compete on much more than initial carbon footprint.

Structural performance, fatigue behavior, moisture protection, manufacturing repeatability, repairability, certification, blade mass, production rate and lifecycle cost will all influence whether LVL construction can gain meaningful market share.

The planned Navarra factory will provide an important industrial test of that proposition.

If the technology can successfully move from blade development into repeatable high-volume manufacturing, engineered wood could establish a new material pathway alongside the glass and carbon fiber composites that currently dominate large wind turbine structures.

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